Harmonious Convergence! A preview of upcoming Jugalbandi concerts at Learnquest Music & Dance Festival 2024!

by Shuchita Rao

“Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.”

- Pablo Casals

Jugalbandi is a musical collaboration between two skilled performers of similar musical caliber. Literally translating to “intertwined twins”, jugalbandi is akin to a duet performance between two artists who could be vocalists, or instrumentalists, or a combination of the two. The featured collaborators are typically supported by a team of talented musicians on percussion as well as the tanpura drone instrument.

A productive musical dialogue between two imaginative performers can create a harmonious and dynamic interaction leading to an aesthetically pleasant experience for the listeners. If the performers compete on stage, they take away from the spirit and essence of a joint creative endeavor. It is only when the collaborators work with a sense of mutual respect for each other, enhancing each other’s ideas, that jugalbandis turn into a a magical experience for themselves as well as for the audience.

Upcoming Jugalbandi Concerts in March & April 2024 in Boston

Learnquest Academy of Music, based out of Waltham, Mass is a reputed music institution that has been presenting Indian classical music festivals for more than 15 years. Several memorable jugalbandi performances held during past annual music festivals highlighted camaraderie among the artists while they actively explored and pushed the boundaries of tradition and innovation within Indian classical music.  Some jugalbandi examples from past festivals include jugalbandi between the renowned sitarist Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan along with mandolin maestro, the late U. Srinivas, a Sarod-Sitar jugalbandi by brothers Aayush Mohan and Lakshay Mohan, a jugalbandi between Hindustani shehnai artist Ashwini Shankar along with Carnatic flautist J.A. Jayanth among others.

This year, at a five day long Learnquest Indian music and dance festival 2024, which is scheduled to be held in two parts at Casey Theater, Regis College in Weston, Mass: the first half between March 29th to March 31st and the second half from April 13th to April 14th, an impressive array of jugalbandis (listed below) will be presented.

1.     Indian-Western jugalbandi by violinists Purnaprajna Bangere and David Balakrishnan on Saturday, March 30, 2024

2.     Hindustani vocal and sitar jugalbandi by vocalist Arshad Ali Khan and Shahana Banerjee on Sunday, March 31, 2024

3.     Carnatic-Hindustani jugalbandi by Carnatic flautist V.K.Raman and Santoor player Kunal Gunjal on April 13, 2024

4.     Hindustani-Carnatic jugalbandi by Hindustani flautist Shadaj Godkhindi with Carnatic violinist K J Dilip on April 14, 2024

5.     Hindustani jugalbandi by vocalists Sanjukta Biswas and Sabina Rahman on April 14, 2024

6.     Carnatic jugalbandi by violinist duo Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, who are the children of the legendary musician, Vidwaan Lalgudi Jayaraman on April 14, 2024

A slice of history

Since the mid-20^th century, jugalbandis between several gifted performer duos have mesmerized audiences around the world and enriched the classical music landscape. Dhrupad vocalists such as the senior Dagar brothers, Nasir Moinuddin Dagar and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar, Sitar virtuoso Pandit Ravi Shankar and Sarod virtuoso Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Violinist Vidushi Dr. N. Rajam and Shehnai virtuoso Ustad Bismillah Khan, Vocalist Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj with renowned flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Violinists Vidwaan Lalgudi Jayaraman and Pandit T.N. Krishnan and Hindustani vocalists Ustad Dilshad Khan with his wife Begum Parveen Sultana among several other talented pairs have showcased the intricacies of Indian classical music through the medium of jugalbandi.

A unique collaboration akin to a jugalbandi that art lovers once witnessed several years back on Indian national television, Doordarshan, was where two iconic artists, Hindustani vocalist Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi and reputed painter M.F. Hussain collaborated in front of a live audience. Hussain painted while listening to Bhimsen Joshi Ji’s music. At the end of the concert, a beautiful and compelling work of art had been created from the inspiration the painter drew from the musician. 

JASRANGI – A unique Jugalbandi concept

Another interesting type of jugalbandi created by the late Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj is known as “Jasrangi.” In this art form, one musician sings a raga in the lower register (lower octave or mandra saptak) while the other musician alternates by singing a different raga in a higher register (Madhya and taar saptak). The complementary interplay of the two separate ragas creates a haunting effect.

Are Jugalbandis spontaneous works of art?

While some jugalbandis are spontaneous and extempore, others may go through some amount of advance preparation. In Boston, in the year 2011, an innovative jugalbandi between two pairs of brothers – Hindustani Dhrupad exponents Gundecha brothers, and Carnatic brother duo Malladi brothers happened at the Kresge auditorium in Cambridge, Mass. This collaboration succeeded in bringing Hindustani and Carnatic music lovers closer in savoring the beauty of Indian classical music. Gundecha brothers explained the work that went into planning the jugalbandi as follows: “When we decided to sing with Malladi brothers, we put considerable thought and planning into how to make the jugalbandi effective. We listened to each other, made observations on each other’s musical content and style and discussed with them how to bring out the best in of both styles. We then isolated musical movements and components that sounded similar, and those that synthesized well when sung together. We thought of ragas and talas that are common to both styles and came up with a plan.” This planned effort and execution of a jugalbandi was well received by a diverse audience of music lovers.

CONCLUSION

Henry Ford once said “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”  Music lovers are in for a treat in March and April 2024 because not one, but six jugalbandis will be presented at the Learnquest festival in an effort to showcase the depth and beauty of Indian classical music. Buy your tickets in advance at https://www.learnquest.org/

About the author: Shuchita Rao is a Hindustani vocalist and music educator who actively freelances on the subjects of Indian Art and Culture for ethnic magazines & newspapers based in U.S.A and India. For more information, please visit www.shuchitarao.com

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